Kildare Launch of Biodiversity Week

Press Release 11th May 2015

Kildare Launch of Biodiversity Week 2015 at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre 

With the support of Kildare County Council and the Irish Environmental Network the Bog of Allen Naure Centre in Lullymore will host the launch of Kildare Biodiversity Week. Starting at 2pm on Saturday 16th May, Mayor of County Kildare Councillor Fiona O’Loughlin will officially launch the week long schedule of biodiversity events for the county. This family event will have something for everyone and Rua the Kildare libraries Red Squirrel will be on hand to welcome all who attend. There will be lots of activities for children including pond dipping, frog and newt searches and insect eating plants to explore in the wildlife gardens. Staff of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council will be available to offer guided tours of the peatland museum. At 3.30pm IPCC will lead a bog walk to Lodge Bog where visitors can listen for the cry of the Curlew and feel the wet spongy bog surface beneath their feet. An international guest from University of California, Berkeley Caitriona Smyth will offer an information session on ecosystem services, identifying for visitors the range and value of these services that biodiversity and their habitats provide for us all. Light refreshments will be provided and all are welcome to attend. For further information on this event visit www.ipcc.ie.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth. Simply put it is all the different types of plant and animal species and the interaction between them in their natural environment. Biodiversity includes everything from the tiny wood louse you may find under a plant pot in your garden and the dandelion you might refer to as a weed in your lawn to the largest whale off the Irish coast and the tallest oak tree in your local woodland. No matter the size of the plant or animal Biodiversity Week is a time to discover, enjoy and learn about the wonderful variety of plants and animals found living in County Kildare and throughout the Island of Ireland.

Throughout Bodiversity week there will be a wide variety of events throughout Kildare including a series of dawn and dusk choruses hosted by Kildare Birdwatch. Local Tidy Town groups will hold woodland walks, bumblebee identification workshops and an evening of biodiversity. Canal walks, cutaway bog walks and much more are also scheduled for this week long celebration. All events are free and you can find out more information on www.kildarecoco.ie. Booking is required for one event a Biodiversity Bus hosted by Kildare Tidy Towns on Friday evening the 22nd May.  This event will guide members of the public through the natural heritage sites of the Curragh and Pollardstown Fen. Booking your spot on the Biodiversity Bus is easy – just call Celine O’Neill in Kildare County Council on 045-980239 or e-mail coneill@kildarecoco.ie

ENDS

Editor’s Notes

The Bog of Allen Nature Centre is run by the irish Peatland Conservation Council a charity that aims to protect a sample of Irish peatlands for future generations to enjoy.

For interviews or images contact Nuala Madigan, Education Officer